Academic Engagement

In the past decade, Drexel has made significant strides in connecting with its neighboring schools, community service agencies, cultural institutions and civic government.

Today, virtually every college and school sponsors programs that serve area teachers, students, school administrators, community service agencies, health centers, and civic, cultural, and arts institutions.

College of Arts and Sciences: As the academic foundation of Drexel University, the College of Arts and Sciences provides a core curriculum to students of all disciplines, creating a diverse atmosphere ideal for fostering innovation and development. In 2011, The College of Arts and Sciences’ Kathleen Volk Miller was named one of Philadelphia’s top 76 Creative Connectors by Leadership Philadelphia for using art, culture, and design to build community and economic vitality.

School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems: The weServe initiative at Drexel supports students from the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems school who elect to complete co-ops as volunteers in health facilities in the US and globally using their biomedical engineering skills and understanding of local needs.

Bennett S. LeBow College of Business:
LeBow College's Business Consulting Program links exceptional business students with top nonprofit organizations. Students get the opportunity to apply their business knowledge, skills and experience, upholding the Drexel tradition of career-integrated education to promote positive contributions to local communities.

School of Education:
The School of Education seeks to enrich knowledge and practice related to lifespan learning, based on the most current and appropriate research and practice. Each year, the school engages in sustainability
workshops
and projects like a recent Ukraine strategic planning
initiative [PDF] that emphasize creative uses of human effort, technology and problem solving.

College of Engineering:
The Drexel EPICS (Engineering Projects in Community Service) program seeks to build upon one developed at Purdue University. Its goals are to vertically integrate undergraduate and graduate design projects with non-profit needs in the Philadelphia area.

Drexel University College of Medicine: The
Women's Health Education Program
(WHEP) at Drexel University College of Medicine was awarded a $1.5 million grant to enhance "Philadelphia Ujima Coalition for a Healthier Community," which is part of the gender-based national "Coalition for a Healthier Community" initiative. The Drexel University College of Medicine program is one of ten chosen from across the country and the only one in Pennsylvania.

College of Nursing and Health Professions: A group of 33 Philadelphia high school students from Imhotep Institute Charter High School visited Drexel to get hands-on practice with healthcare tools and techniques. At the Center for Interdisciplinary Clinical Simulation and Practice, the students practiced checking vital signs, administering medication, preparing for surgery and more. Imhotep’s Health Academy track, just begun last year, gives students an opportunity to focus their learning on health topics from 10th through 12th grades. Visits to Drexel and other university and healthcare settings help students learn outside the classroom.

School of Public Health
: Students at the Drexel School of Public Health accrue nearly 70,000 hours of real-time public health experience. Our students have routinely ranked this experience as one of the most meaningful and fulfilling portions of their academic experience. The School of Public Health’s programs teach students to work effectively with and within various agencies and communities.

Pennoni Honors College: The College’s Cultural Passport program utilizes Philadelphia as a classroom to deepen Drexel students' understanding of the world, their environment and themselves. The program provides one free admission to twenty-eight of Philadelphia's best cultural, historical and performing arts institutions during a student’s first year. The Lindy Center for Civic Engagement is also housed within the Pennoni Honors College.

College of Computing & Informatics: Beyond education and research, the College of Computing & Informatics aims to connect to its community both within the Philadelphia community and beyond. Through various programs, labs, and individual work by students, alumni, faculty, and staff, the College maintains relationships with various philanthropic and non-profit organizations, provides outreach services, and makes available educational opportunities and services to residents from underprivileged areas.

Kline School of Law: The Kline School’s
pro bono service requirement
reflects a commitment to the Philadelphia community and the unmet legal needs of its men, women and children. Its
co-op program
includes placements in public interest organizations, which give students additional options for serving the underrepresented.

Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design: In 2011, a team of students from Westphal College, the College of Engineering and the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science & Health Systems (Biomed) participated in the Thai Health Initiative to improve living conditions for the people of Bo Klua. The team is designing agricultural tools and techniques to address social, economical and environmental challenges.

Goodwin College of Professional Studies: The college has partnered with American Infrastructure, a family-owned business that has been nationally recognized for its progressive management, highly-skilled workforce and unparalleled quality and customer service, for an annual event that brings together the next generation of construction leaders.

Academic engagement is not limited to the work of our Colleges and Schools. Academic engagement can be found throughout offices and departments across the campuses that serve our students, faculty, professional staff and alumni.

Student Life: Involvement in Student Life is essential in making Drexel's campus life a valuable experience. While fraternity and sorority members at Drexel University comprise nearly 10% of the campus population, they are responsible for a significantly greater percentage of programming in areas including community service, philanthropic activity/events, educational initiatives, and social activities.

Libraries: In support of Drexel University’s efforts to form partnerships with our neighbors, the Libraries are eager to consider partnerships with organizations that meet needs illustrated by some of our current and past work. At Drexel University Libraries, we’ve experienced great success helping those who help others.

Office of Campus Activities:The Office of Campus Activities presents Drexel students with hundreds of opportunities to meet other students, serve the community, and make a difference in the world around them.

Alumni Relations: The Community Alumni Network at Drexel University (CAN DU), an outreach program of the Drexel University Alumni Association, supports alumni, students, faculty, and staff in making a difference in our community.